[Richard]

When I was doing physics research we used to purchase very pure ethanol from our department store for cleaning optics (lenses, mirrors, etc). It had very little water in it so it would cut oils (think fingerprints) and not leave any residue when it evaporated. Although it was 99% pure, there was no guarantee as to what the remaining 1% was, so it was unsuitable for human consumption. Chemicals for industrial use may not be appropriate for use near or on equipment that deals with products for human consumption. Some of the contaminants can be harmful to humans in very low concentrations that have no industrial consequences. Be very careful about anything you use on your brewing equipment. If  you purchase concentrated ethanol, be sure that it is rated as safe for human consumption.

Also, I don't think nurses use ethanol before injections. I have always received a swipe with isopropyl alcohol (i.e rubbing alcohol).

[Robert]

^^^^

The other important thing to keep in mind here, as Charlie noted, is that you don't want too high a concentration.   That 99%, or even 90%, will evaporate too quickly to kill bugs, but I suppose that rapid evaporation is a plus when cleaning optics.   Given that you don't need or want that level of concentration, there's no need to source laboratory products.  The 151 proof Everclear really is a great choice.  It is the right concentration,  and allegedly safe for human consumption.   Certain events in January, 1984 still lead me to question this last point, but that's another matter.   

[goose]

I saw a video of a pro brewer actually light ethanol he sprayed into a valve before connecting a line to harvest yeast.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

   
   There was a thread recently on the BA forum about sample port cleaning which had a link to a video produced by the ASBC and the BA. Among the suggested items were a spray bottle containing 70% alcohol - either ethanol or isopropanol - and a propane torch. The reason for using 70% instead of 90% alcohol is that 90% evaporates too fast, the torch is used to burn off/evaporate any residual alcohol before taking your sample. TIFWIW.

Careful there.  I heard a story just yesterday of a brewer starting a fire in the brewery like that.

You do not need to flame the sample port after spraying.  The 70% alcohol will evaporate fast enough and the residual amount that might not evaporate is so small that it will not effect your sample at all.  Plus, it is a whole lot safer than using a torch to dry it.

With regard to Charlie's post, yes, diluted Everclear is a good idea and is not like Ethyl Rubbing Alcohol (which is denatured ethanol).  But is way more work than I want to do when mixing some up to for a sample pull or a transfer.   The stuff you buy in the drug store, either Ethyl Rubbing Alcohol or Isopropanol, is way easier and works just as well for quick sanitization.

[charlie]

With regard to Charlie's post, yes, diluted Everclear is a good idea and is not like Ethyl Rubbing Alcohol (which is denatured ethanol).  But is way more work than I want to do when mixing some up to for a sample pull or a transfer.   The stuff you buy in the drug store, either Ethyl Rubbing Alcohol or Isopropanol, is way easier and works just as well for quick sanitization.

The 151 Proof Everclear is close to 70%, so you could avoid the PITA of diluting it.

I use 70%  EtOH in my airlocks (when I have to use them), so sanitizer or anything containing isopropanol is a No-Go.

Charlie

[HighVoltageMan!]

^^^^

   That 99%, or even 90%, will evaporate too quickly to kill bugs

Although it is true that a higher concentration of alcohol is less effective than 70%, your reason for it is not true. Water is needed so the the alcohol can penetrate the cell wall. Too high of concentration will coagulate the proteins of the cell walls, preventing the alcohol from entering the cell and denaturing proteins and enzymes inside the wall.

Not trying to nick pick, but it's better to understand the how and why something is true.

[Robert]

^^^^

   That 99%, or even 90%, will evaporate too quickly to kill bugs

Although it is true that a higher concentration of alcohol is less effective than 70%, your reason for it is not true. Water is needed so the the alcohol can penetrate the cell wall. Too high of concentration will coagulate the proteins of the cell walls, preventing the alcohol from entering the cell and denaturing proteins and enzymes inside the wall.

Not trying to nick pick, but it's better to understand the how and why something is true.

Thanks.  I never knew that, and indeed I always want to understand the how and why of everything.   That's the only way we can be sure we're designing adequate procedures in our breweries.

[reverseapachemaster]

In addition to everything mentioned above, steam is also used.

For the tanks and many SS I runs they certainly use the steam - and we don’t have that option....

I forget the brewery but I saw one created a small scale steamer for its testing equipment that a homebrewer could easily replicate. It was a presto pressure cooker with the bell removed and high temp tubing run off the spout on the top. It would be easy to run that into a lot of glass and metal components but may not be a great option for a lot of plastic equipment we use.

[ynotbrusum]

I was wondering if someone might raise a steam solution after I wrote that.  Autoclaving by pressure cooker is certainly possible for things that fit in the device safely and it sounds like a hose can run it off if rigged properly, but I would urge caution on that count, for sure....

[Robert]

Wouldn't pressure have to be maintained in the tubing, right up to a nozzle the steam is directed out of, so that the steam comes out superheated?  That would be a tricky and risky rig to engineer.  I read in one of the magazines in the last couple of years about the rising popularity of steam with smaller breweries, and new, portable equipment  becoming available,  but I recall cost is still prohibitive for most.   Big breweries have steam plants feeding coils for heating all the brewing vessels, so they have an advantage.

[reverseapachemaster]

You'll only get normal steam temperature out of it because there's no pressure to the system. The pressure cooker is just the easiest way to direct steam in a pot towards a small opening. Obviously you'll have to use a limited length of tubing to avoid losing temperature over distance. But several feet of tubing seems to work.

With that system you're not getting sterilization temperatures but you are getting steam capable of filling a vessel to temperatures that will sanitize. You'll have to work for a while to get a barrel heated through the wood but a carboy shouldn't be a problem.

[Robert]

Or just use iodophor and save time and effort.  An example, like the impracticality  of certain chemicals, of how things often are best done differently on the homebrew scale.